TECHNICAL PROGRESS REPORT TITLE: Long-Term Ecological Research on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem: An Ice-Dominated Environment PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin, B.B. Prezelin, R.C. Smith, E. Hofmann, W. Fraser, W. Trivelpiece PERIOD OF TIME COVERED: 15 October 1990 to 15 July 1991 ID NO: DPP-9011927 INSTITUTION: University of California at Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Our efforts this year focused on (1) establishing lines of communication among the various components of the Antarctic LTER, and between the Antarctic LTER, the LTER Network and other national and international programs, (2) preparing for the first field season which begins in mid-October 1991, and (3) initiating the development of models in several areas. I. Meetings Attended: WHAT: All Scientists Meeting, LTER Network WHEN/WHERE: Sept 25-30, 1990; Estes Park, CO WHO: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin, W. Fraser, W. Trivelpiece; S. Trivelpiece PRESENTATION: two posters on Antarctic LTER, one on bio-optical models (Prezelin and Smith) WHAT: U.S. Southern Ocean JGOFS Planning Meeting WHEN/WHERE: Oct 2-4,1990;Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory WHO: R. M. Ross PRESENTATION: presentation and discussion of LTER WHAT: Antarctic LTER mini-series and workshop WHEN/WHERE: Mar 2-8, 1991; UC Santa Barbara, CA WHO: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin, B. Prezelin, R. Smith, E. Hofmann, W. Trivelpiece; J. Capella, S. Levin, A. Okubo, T. Powell; S. Trivelpiece, C. Lascara, T. Frazer; J. Franklin, coordinator of the LTER Network PRESENTATION: series of seven formal seminars open to the UCSB community, and discussions about model development and potential interactions WHAT: LTER Coordinating Committee Meeting WHEN/WHERE: Apr 19-22, 1991; Seattle, WA WHO: L.B. Quetin PRESENTATION: WHAT: 20th Annual Colloquium of Scholars WHEN/WHERE: May 3, 1991; California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA WHO: L.B. Quetin, R.M. Ross PRESENTATION: "Effect of Sea Ice on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem: A Long Term Ecological Research Program" (joint presentation) WHAT: GLOBEC Southern Ocean Zooplankton and Climate Change Workshop WHEN/WHERE: May 9-11, 1991; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA WHO: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin,W. Fraser, E. Hofmann; J. Klinck PRESENTATION: presentation on penguin population trends (W. Fraser); rapporteur for physiology session (L. Quetin) WHAT: Antarctic LTER Steering Committee Meeting WHEN/WHERE: June 24-26, 1991; ?? WHO: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin, B. Prezelin, R. Smith, E. Hofmann, W. Fraser, W. Trivelpiece; Steering Committee: J. Magnuson (lead), D. DeMaster, T. Fisher, G. Hunt, M. Lewis, [A. Gordon, absent]. WHAT: Field season planning meeting WHEN/WHERE: June 28, 1991; Antarctic Support Associates, Denver, CO WHO: R.M. Ross, L.B. Quetin, B. Prezelin, R. Smith, W. Fraser, W. Trivelpiece PRESENTATION: II. Accomplishments A. Interactions with other antarctic programs - Many investigators have expressed an interest in conducting research complimentary to the Antarctic LTER hypotheses and objectives. Details of possible collaborations have been discussed with D. Karl of the University of Hawaii ("Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem: Microbiology and Carbon Flux" - proposal submitted 6/91), and C. Ribic of the Environmental Protection Agency ("Bioaccumulation of Pollutants in the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem" - proposal submitted 6/91). B. LTER Network interactions - Contacts with two other LTERs have been initiated. Brian Fry of the ARC LTER (Arctic) will be involved in a study by Tom Frazer (Ph.D. student of Quetin and Ross at UCSB) which will use stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios to investigate food web dynamics under the ice. A mutual interest in acoustic arrays that can be used from small boats such as zodiacs exists among the North Inlet, Arctic and Antarctic LTER investigators. A post doc from the North Inlet LTER may demonstrate one possible acoustic array on the November cruise for the Antarctic LTER this year. Meteorological data presently available from Palmer is being gathered for use in a standard climate graph for the LTER site description "bluebook" which will show comparisons across the Network. Additional data available from earlier years from nearby stations (Faraday and Rothera) will also be included. Data is needed for the 30-year period 1951-1980, including temperatures and precipitation, and is being requested by the Climate Committee of the LTER Network. C. Modeling - 1. Seabird modeling: Progress on a model of the AdŽlie pengui npopulation, which combines the modeling expertise of E. Hofmann and C. Lascara, and the knowledge of seabird ecology of W. Trivelpiece and W. Fraser, has been significant. Initial efforts will concentrate on describing the energy requirements of an average penguin population, and extend to include the effects of environmental variability, specifically the effects of food resource limitation on winter-over survival, physiological condition of breeders, and breeding success of AdŽlie penguins. In the model six coupled ordinary differential equations describe the interaction between six components: eggs, chicks, juveniles, nonbreeders, male breeders and female breeders. Each component equation includes input processes such as ingestion and loss processes such as respiration, predation, and costs of foraging, reproduction and molting. Additionally, energy is transferred between components, via development, and is represented as a loss from one component and a gain to another. Changes in the physical environment are reflected in the availability of food resources which can be linked to penguin energetics through the cost of foraging term. The penguin component equations will be solved using a fourth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. Simulation experiments will be conducted with a time step of one day and will run for several years. At present we are in the process of formulating values for model parameters. 2. Atmospheric and ice modeling: Modeling atmospheric processes and ice formation for the LTER research has begun. Results of atmospheric modeling efforts initiated for the UV research of Smith, Prezzelin, et al. have been submitted for publication, and similar efforts will continue. D. Preparations for the field season - Nine custom-designed incubators for measuring primary production in antarctic algae have been constructed. High-precision, high-density measurements will be obtained with these photosynthetrons during all five years. A HPLC has also been acquired and calibrated to JGOFS standards.